Abstract
The focus of this article is a relatively neglected area of social and family policy: its relationship with small business. Economic policy makers have encouraged “enterprise”, particularly in the form of small business, as a solution to problems of competitiveness and economic growth. The article uncovers what an enterprise culture actually means for some of those families who first embarked upon business ownership in the 1980s in the UK Using data from a qualitative study, it contends that, in contradiction to the enterprise rhetoric, for micro-businesses owners and their families, values of self-reliance and dependency often are found as opposite characteristics necessary for the success of a small business. A recent survey of micro-businesses in contrasting British regional economies suggests that such experiences are likely to be found amongst a substantial proportion of micro-businesses.
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Wheelock, J., Baines, S. Dependency or Self-Reliance? The Contradictory Case of Work in UK Small Business Families. Journal of Family and Economic Issues 19, 53–73 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022937224380
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022937224380